To the town of Beaufort, SC where my family had the privilege of living, and I, the privilege of working for 33 years, a note of “thanks” for your love, support and many kindness! What a special place you are....sandwiched between Charleston, Savannah and Hilton Head, you truly are a hidden gem, the “crown jewel” of the Low Country! From your ever-changing beauty, the vast tidal wetlands that differ from hour to hour, to the gorgeous Beaufort River that winds its way through those very same wetlands, deserted walks on deserted beaches at Harbor, Hunting, and Fripp Islands, to the fabulous Low Country cuisine, and most importantly, the kindness and warmth of that incredible town, I say thank you!

Thank you to the wonderful shops and restaurants in and around the city hub, all of whom have handled me and the hundreds of thousands of Secession Members and Guests for three decades plus, with class, warmth and professionalism. What would my time in Beaufort have been without Breakwater, The Old Bull Tavern, Saltus, Emily’s, Plums, The Bank, MJ”s Soul Food, Dockside and recently, The Fish Camp in Port Royal. You treated us so well, and we in turn, supported you for your quality and kindness. Thank you to Jan Malinowski and the wonderful staff at Palmetto State Bank who handled my banking needs for over 30 years, to Grayco and the Gray Family, what a wonderful operation, to Kevin Cuppia and Modern Jewelers for their incredible professionalism, and to Pastor Jamie Gardner at Praise Assembly Church, where I grew as a man of faith for over 30 years. God bless you all!! And what would I have done without Publix and The Tidal Wave car wash, Haaa! That car wash was my “happy place”!

To all our dear friends throughout the Low Country, in Hilton Head, Bluffton, Savannah and Charleston, thank you!! There are way too many relationships here to mention, forgive me! From the time Lynda and I arrived on Hilton Head from Atlanta in 1982, your love and support have moved us forward with each kind and encouraging word. Our effort was not an easy one, but your encouragement kept us going. What a blessing you have all been to our family!

I’ll miss my late afternoon “quiet time” on our back porch overlooking the Beaufort River from our house in Pleasant Point, the place we called home for 25 years. Only God could paint those sunsets so majestically, as boats and dolphin moved by with equal aplomb. Many thanks to that wonderful community that gave us such peace and sanctuary for so long.

And finally, to Secession Golf Club, so perfectly placed on Gibbes Island, just five minutes from the heartbeat of that wonderful town. My what a place! Very few Beaufortonians ever knew that hidden away on Gibbes Island was an entity whose name was known to golfers around the world, and that those very same golfing souls would traveled the length of that world to simply spend three or four days walking its fairways and enjoying the beauty of the SC Low Country. Thank you Secession for your kindness to me, but also your kindness to this wonderful community, it’s businesses with your support, and it’s young residents with your 9/11 LeVeen-Roach Scholarship Fund, a fund that has allocated close to $5 million in college scholarships since that tragic and somber September day. Our local high school students were able to make a better life for themselves, and for their future families, because of your ongoing and consistent philanthropy. What a blessing you were, and will continue to be, to this wonderful town!

So a final thank you to Beaufort from the “Old Pro”, who now leaves the Low Country for retirement in the High Country of NC, specifically, the town of Beech Mountain. May God continue to guard, protect, and prosper you, for there are fewer places on earth more beautiful, more kind and more special than Beaufort, SC.

I’ll never forget you!